Their Love is a Masterpiece
by a-better-world
Summary: Modern P&P fluff. Elizabeth and Darcy are a happy couple who learn to get through everyday hardships together. One-shot.


A/N: _ LOTS of fluff ahead. Consider yourselves warned :)_

* * *

"Oh my God!" Lizzy groans and drops her head on the table. "Remind me again, why do I do law?"

"Because you like it and want to build a career and help people," Darcy repeats the things Lizzy usually says herself, smiling slightly as he sits on her bed, one of her textbooks in his lap.

Lizzy lifts her head, "Sounds about right," she murmurs and looks at the screen of her Mac once again. She glances at the time – it's almost midnight, but she has an important tutorial tomorrow, and that's why she is still up, Darcy helping her understand the topic she likes the least – Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977. "Right, what next?" she makes another attempt to concentrate, even though her eyes are starting to close without her control over it.

"The right type of contract?" he asks.

"So," she says, squinting slightly as she pushes herself to remember, "the Act does not cover consumer contracts, contracts for international sale of goods, and also those listed in schedule 1."

"Which Act covers consumer contracts?"

Lizzy gives him a look of disapproval, "Consumer Rights Act 2015, Will. That's easy." She waves at him, "Now ask me difficult questions."

Darcy raises his eyebrows: "Fine. Tell me about the reasonableness test?"

Lizzy rubs her temples, "Outlined in section 11(1) of the Unfair Contract Terms Act and some relevant factors are also in schedule 2 – but only when section 6(3) applies – and in section 11(4). The circumstances where the burden of proof shifts are outlined in section 11(5)."

Will grins at her: "That's good."

"Really?" she looks at him, bewildered.

"Yeah. I think you'll do well tomorrow. As long as you remember all of this and also mention some cases, you'll do great."

Lizzy lets out a happy squeal and, getting out of her chair, throws herself at her boyfriend with a giggle. Darcy laughs too, hugging her and kissing her hair. She always smells like strawberry shampoo, and it's the smell that makes him feel happy like nothing else because it means that Lizzy's with him. She is _his_ Lizzy.

He doesn't know what his life would be like if he had never met Elizabeth. He was pretty happy with the way he lived before they met, around a year ago. He had a job he liked, he had friends and sometimes romantic flings – always short lived, but quite satisfying. He never thought he needed anything else. Lizzy was like that missing puzzle that he didn't even know was missing, and now that he has her he feels he's the luckiest man alive. Everything about her is perfect: she is impulsive, opinionated, but also bright and funny and always sparkling with happiness and enthusiasm. She changed his life once and for all. He doesn't think he'd ever be able to go back to living without her.

Elizabeth hugs Darcy so tight her fingertips go white and thinks that it's impossible to be so happy.

"Don't forget your table of cases," suddenly says Will and gives her the sheet of paper he had next to him.

Lizzy takes it and quickly looks over. When she sees the words _I love you_ written under the table in Will's writing, a grins appears on her face. She kisses him, but the kiss doesn't last long because they both can't stop smiling.

* * *

When they're both in bed, they lay in silence, Darcy drawing random patterns on her arm. Lizzy's head is on his shoulder, and he hears her sigh heavily, and frowns, because he thought she'd already fallen asleep. But something's bothering her. "What's wrong?" he asks, kissing her temple.

She sighs again. "Do you think I'll be a good lawyer?"

He smiles. "You're only a first year student, Lizzy. It's a little early for you to think about that."

She sits up, looking in his face. "No, but do you think I can actually do it? Because… Look at you," she gestures towards him, "you went to _Cambridge_. You work in a big posh firm that has enough power to actually make a difference."

"You go to a good university, Lizzy," he says. "You have as much chance as anyone. And you're bright, I think you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. And Cambridge doesn't matter – it was easier for me, because I went to a private school, and from there it's an open door. You did everything on your own, despite all the hardships."

Lizzy lies back down and plants a kiss to his shoulder, hugging him again. "But I don't even know what I want to do after I get the degree. I'd like to help people who actually _need_ help, not assist rich companies in suing other companies for even more money."

"I know," Darcy says. "You'll figure it out."

He feels Lizzy smile. "I'm glad you stayed tonight. I know it's difficult for you, since I live in a student hall. You're a very private person. But I'm glad you stayed."

"Me too," he agrees. "Don't worry about anything, alright? Take it in small steps. Do great tomorrow, and then we'll celebrate with a chocolate gateau."

"My favourite?" she looks up at him. "Chocolate and raspberry?"

"Yeah. Whatever you want."

"I love you," Lizzy says, quietly, almost in a whisper.

"I love you too, sweetheart."

* * *

Darcy tries to stay calm as he drives, so that he doesn't get into an accident, but all he can think about is Lizzy, _his_ lovely, beautiful, wonderful and amazing Lizzy, who is now in a hospital because she had been hit by a car. If he had picked her up after uni, she wouldn't have gotten hurt. But he was busy, and she said it was okay. But Darcy knows – it's all his fault.

In the waiting room, he immediately sees Jane and Charles, and Jane, obviously realising his distraught state, hugs him soothingly, and tells him that Lizzy is okay, she had just broken her leg and gotten a few scratches, but she was lucky. He demands to see her, but Charlie stops him because the nurse said that Lizzy's asleep and is not to be disturbed.

It feels like everything around him is covered in a layer of fog. He doesn't trust anyone, can only think about seeing her as soon as possible, and when Jane, in an attempt to make him feel better, touches his shoulder, he says that he can't just sit there anymore. He spends an hour or so walking around London thoughtlessly, and when he comes back, Charlie says that Lizzy's awake and Jane is with her.

He rushes in to the room. Jane, being her understanding and kind self, kisses Lizzy's forehead and leaves them alone. Darcy doesn't know what to say at first, so he puts a small-ish box on the bedside table.

"I brought you your gateau," he tells her quietly, his voice strained, as if she can't tell herself.

He realises with huge relief that she looks good for someone who had gotten into a car accident. She has quite a deep cut on her left cheek that has been stitched up, and a few bruises, but apart from the broken leg, she doesn't seem to have any major injuries.

Lizzy smiles at him tiredly. "I love when you buy me food."

"Why?" Darcy asks, confused.

"Because you're rich and always buy stuff from Waitrose," she says with a smile that is just _her_. Will sighs with relief and takes a chair to sit next to her bed. She takes his hand, and he realises he can't stop looking at her other hand, where the cannula is.

"How did this happen?" he asks, despite knowing that even imagining the accident once again will make him go mad.

"I was texting you," she says, smiling. "Wanted to tell you that the tutorial went well. Didn't see the car coming." Will can't stop looking at the cut on her cheek. If he had only picked her up as he was going to, she wouldn't be in the hospital right now. She must realise where he's looking, so she continues. "They say the cut will scar."

He lifts his eyes to her, his thumb caressing the back of her hand. "You're beautiful, Lizzy. With or without that scar."

She smiles with a sad expression in her eyes. "I remember you used to say there was nothing at all special about me."

Darcy closes his eyes, deeply ashamed. "Lizzy…" he leans forward, to press his lips to the back of her hand. He doesn't know what to say that will even remotely tell her how much he's changed since that moment. It feels as if that time was a completely different life. That wasn't even him, saying those things. It was some weird, stupid and rude version of him. Now he doesn't even understand how he couldn't see back then how beautiful and perfect Lizzy is. Darcy thinks no one in this world is as special and unique as she is.

"It's okay," she says, sniffling quietly, and Will sees tears in her eyes. "I'm just so glad that you've changed your mind because I love you so much. I don't know what I would do if you didn't return my feelings."

Once again, Darcy doesn't know what to say. What sort of words would convey how much he loves her, how much she means to him, and that he would probably go insane or simply kill himself if something happened to her? He doesn't know how to respond, so he says one thing he's sure of. "I love you, Lizzy. I'll always love you."

She smiles, happier this time, and Darcy thinks that maybe he's said something right. "You know," Lizzy says, "everyone's really nice at this hospital. I was falling asleep, and you know how I can't sleep comfortably unless I have my hand tucked in?"

"I know," responds Darcy immediately. Of course he knows that Lizzy can never fall asleep on her back, only on her side, with her hand curled in under her chin. Of course he knows that. He knows.

"They needed to put the cannula in, so they took my hand, inserted it, and then put the hand back to where it was, in exactly the same position as it was before. Can you imagine? How thoughtful is that?" She giggles, happy.

Darcy smiles too. Lizzy always says that it's the small things that make the difference. And now he understands what she means. It's the small things that he'll remember forever. And he hopes that they can have moments like this one years from now on. Just maybe without any accidents involved.

* * *

A/N: _I hope you guys enjoyed. Please leave me reviews, because remember - I'm a newbie and need support :) But seriously, I would really appreciate to know what you think, even if the story isn't that much to go by._


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